Social democrats resist giving four ministries to democrats ahead of coalition talks

Coalition negotiations are underway in Lithuania, with all three potential partners—the Social Democratic Party, the Democrats, and the Farmers and Greens Union—meeting in the Seimas on Thursday, LRT reports.

The Democrats have expressed a desire to lead four ministries, but both the Social Democrats and the Farmers and Greens appear opposed to this. The Social Democrats have already decided to restructure last summer’s ruling majority by excluding the “Nemuno Aušra” party, led by Remigijus Žemaitaitis.

Disagreements among coalition partners have persisted since the 2024 Seimas elections, when the first ruling majority was formed. If successful, this would be the third ruling majority and government in a year and a half.

The Social Democrats have also begun consultations with the Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” led by Virginijus Sinkevičius, while aiming to retain the current coalition partners, the Farmers and Greens, led by Aurelijus Veryga.

Veryga stated that the Democrats’ demand for four ministries is “not logical.” While the Farmers and Greens currently lead two ministries, Veryga said they would be willing to take on more if offered. However, he stressed that his party is not demanding additional ministries and would prefer to maintain their current roles.

“Our position is: if there is no necessity and the ministry is functioning well, there are no issues,” Veryga said. He described the Democrats’ proposals for the government program as “quite good,” noting areas of agreement, such as eliminating the ceiling on child benefits. He added that most remaining discussions revolve around technical adjustments, wording, and stylistic aspects.

Social Democratic leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius has previously urged the leaders of the Democrats and Farmers and Greens—both of whom serve in the European Parliament—to return to work in Lithuania. However, Veryga confirmed he has no plans to leave his European Parliament seat.

“We will have to sort things out with Vytenis Andriukaitis. I understand that I am being invited to the Ministry of Health, but we would need to decide who returns, as there is only one Ministry of Health,” Veryga joked. He added that he sees no urgent need to return to Lithuania, as current issues can be resolved without physically taking a ministerial position.

Veryga expects financial matters to be the most contentious in the negotiations. “Naturally, there will be things we argue about, especially those related to money and the budget. That’s usually where the biggest, most heated discussions happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinkevičius has made it clear that four ministries for the Democrats is excessive. He suggested that three might be negotiable, expressing hope for a compromise. He did not specify which ministry could be added or whether Inga